Jim Brown doesn’t see many great runners in today’s NFL

Posted by Michael David Smith on April 4, 2014, 2:00 PM EDT

AP

As JimBrown surveys the landscape of running backs in the modern NFL, he’s not particularly impressed.

Brown told the Northeast Ohio Media Group that the reason not many running backs are getting the ball 20 times a game — as he did during his Hall of Fame career with the Browns — is that there just aren’t very many great running backs in the NFL right now.

“Who are the running backs who aren’t getting the ball today who should be?” Brown said. “Adrian Peterson isn’t running by committee. Nobody is going to tell me Marshawn Lynch can’t run. He’s strong as an ox. I don’t have the answers, but it doesn’t bother me. I don’t measure things by the average, which I know writers would have to look at things the way they have to, but I don’t have to. I’m looking at the exceptions to the rule, not the rule. . . . As we sit here, I can’t name seven great runners. Can you?”

For the handful of runners who truly are great, however, Brown thinks it’s a shame when their teams don’t recognize their greatness and get them the ball as often as possible.

“I could never understand why they did that to Barry Sanders in Detroit,” Brown said. “I know that’s one of the reasons why he retired, because they took him out on third down and let someone else catch the ball. I thought they must be out of their mind because Barry is such a threat.”

How would Brown fare in today’s NFL?

“I believe if I were playing the game today, I would still get the ball as much as I did all those years ago,” Brown said.

The game has changed and running backs have been devalued since Brown retired half a century ago. But Jim Brown would be a great player in any era.

Why is it everytime we hear something from Jim Brown, it’s rarely positive? Does this guy just go around thinking negatively about everything? Sheesh, someone give the guy a hug and reassure him that he’s still the greatest.

Maybe it’s a Bears-homerish thing to say, but it bothers me that Matt Forte is never mentioned in the best of running backs. I’m not sure there’s a guy who has the complete package of blocking, pass catching, and running as good as him.

So much of it is just that a long list of rule changes (made initially in 1977 to take effect in 1978 – with various evolutions in the quarter century since) have made it comparatively much easier to gain yards working the air attack.

Of course, those rule changes were designed to implement that very effect. Mission accomplished.

About Brown, he was an awesome force — but that was back in a largely segregated NFL — with 240 pound OLs and DLs, and DBs who ran 4.9 forties. How would Brown do in the modern era?

I don’t think it’d be as well as he (and most others) think. He got in when there was an awful lot of low-hanging fruit – so to speak.

I am so tired of Jim Brown backhandedly insulting modern players to stroke his own ego. Sure, he was great in his day, but the game is much faster and vastly more complex that when he played. The defenders are also much stronger and faster. You never know, he could be a bust if he were drafted today. Please stop with the “great in any era” pablum!

It is a two way street … I started to think that when I started hearing the term “run him ’till the wheels fall off”. Runners are being ground down at the beginning of their career and are worn out before the term greatness is available.

Its not that there are not many great runners, they’re just not valued as much as they were before. 8 year injury filled career for a premium amount of money is not attractive to any GM whenn it’s a pass first league.

Jim Brown was a beast. He was BEAST MODE way before Lynch. But the rules changed so the passing game can be played more. The days of the 30+ carries a game RB are going away. Might as well merge the Arena and the NFL.

Different type of NFL now than it was back in the day, teams only could run and the great teams did both run and pass well. I know Jim Brown is great and all but did he ever win a championship with running the ball 20 times a game or 30.

It would be very hard for there to be a next Jim Brown. There are too many great athletes in the game now for there to be one that is head and shoulders better than everyone else. Adrian Peterson is as close as there has been recently. Walter Payton was close, Bo Jackson was close. Still not the difference between Jim Brown and the rest of the players in his day. He was like Wilt Chamberlain. Almost completely unstoppable and able to win the game on his own. 5.2 yards per carry. It’s crazy.

If the next Jim Brown ever arrives, I can tell you the team lucky enough to have him will hand off all the time. Why would you ever throw it if the running game couldn’t be stopped.

Sorry but Jim Brown is nothing more than a grumpy old man with a HUGE chip on his shoulder and never has anything positive to say. Some NFL greats stay around as teachers of the game but Brown just stays around and everyone wishes he’d just go away!

Jim Brown is maybe the best running back I have ever seen. That other Brown, Larry, was pretty good, not as strong and got worn out by the Redskins. In today’s game, protecting investments, Jim, you might still be running. The best run I have in my memory bank, is you, 7 yards 5 of which you were horizontal to the ground and still made it to the end zone. I still don’t believe it but I did watch you do it. Come to think of it, that might have been someone else, joking, IT WAS YOU. You also laid on the ground for a few extra seconds after every run. Hershel Walker and that guy from Houston were better than you. It is a different game now, we can share the memories, and you were and are the best I ever saw, however, some of today’s runner’s would fly by you and you would be stuck smelling their exhaust. We don’t need to talk about a balcony do we? Shut the hell up. I will too.

Brown would be running against much bigger players today, but if he was young today, he would also be proportionately bigger and stronger. So there’s no real reason to think he wouldn’t be just as dominant.

Jim Brown is, without a doubt, one of the best RBs of all time. No question. BUT… He was 6’2, 230 playing against LBs that were smaller than him. These dudes on defense are a completely different animal from the guys he faced in the mid 50’s-60s.

Jim Brown wasn’t as good as Jim Brown and the media machine wants you to think. The man ran behind the best line in football. When he missed games his replacements out rushed him. When he left, his replacement did better. When he left college it was Ernie Davis that won the Heisman. Nobody is denying Brown was good. However his ability was more about size and speed than running ability. I am not sure he would be top 10 RB let alone greatest football player people always throw around. If you don’t believe me…google it. His replacements matched or exceeded his production. But I bet you never heard that before because they didn’t make movies and hang out with Casius Clay

I like all of those people saying Jim Brown wouldn’t be that good in today’s NFL. Have you ever stopped to think that the Jim Brown we saw then would have the same training and care that the players have today? He was/is the best back ever.

Also Jim Brown would have the modern training facilities and training year round. Hard to compare era’s without adding the variables. Theres a reason players have gotten bigger and faster, it’s the evolution of training and injury management. Oh and massive Money to develope players help…

Running backs don’t get as many touches today as they did in Jim Brown’s era because management is scared to death that their $10 million a year superstar is going to get hurt, so they limit their touches.

Jamaal Charles. amazing yard per carry avg that one season had jim brown beat if it wasn’t for losing 2 on the final terrible play. he is arguably the best pass blocking HB in football, one of the biggest threats in the pass game catching the ball as well. not just a homerun threat but can also power for tough yards. if it wasn’t for that early injury that removed a season, and the 6 plays in “concussion” against the colts he would have a much better reputation and a much better chance at having some pretty unbelievable numbers

There is AP, Beast Mode, my man in KC Charles, but that is it. No one else is great, and you could argue at least one of the last two is not great. I hate talk of people acting as if he is just a crochety old man and his opinion doesn’t matter. He said that Richardson was average and the world got in a tizzy…and then it was discovered that he was right. He knows RB talent and there is no doubt that recently the talent level has declined. It is also true that the position has been de-emphasized.

As a lifelong Cleveland Browns fan, I respect Mr. Brown and I am a fan. I seems to me he was right on with the Richardson thing when everyone thought he was being a jerk…he just says what’s on his mind, he doesn’t sugar coat his words….dude is old school….all that being said, yeah, it’s a shame he wouldn’t at least TRY to not appear so damned cranky…

It’s ridiculous how many people doubt Jim Brown’s ability to play in this era.

So yes, defensive players are bigger, stronger, and faster now. But Jim is bigger than most RB’s in today’s NFL as well. And a hell of a lot tougher.

Keep in mind, Jim wasn’t some slouch taking advantage of an unathletic era. He’s a two sport athlete and regarded as possibly the BEST Lacross player of all time. He was a freak athlete by the standards of any era.

He also averaged more than 100 yards a game over a TWELVE YEAR CAREER. No one does that.

Don’t fool yourselves. Guys like Brown, Peyton, and Sanders would tear it up in any era. The sad part is, in this diminished RB era we live in Barry Sanders would finally get his goal line touches.

Hes one hundred percent correct. In 20 years if you look back on this years crop of running backs honestly only one will probably be remembered with any real significance, and thats probably AP. Lynch and a few other guys(foster,charles,mccoy) are really really good, but not greats. With that being said, you can pretty much say that about any position all the time so i’m not really sure what point he was trying to make

I’m sorry but I’m just not as enamored of Adrian Peterson as most of the people talking on here seem to be… Great back yes absolutely but to me I would still think LaDainian Tomlinson is better… And I am in my mid 40s and I still believe Walter Payton is the greatest football player I have ever watched

An old friend of mine used to say “the older you get, the better you were”….with that being said, in my humble opinion, if Chuck Muncie would have had his head on straight he might have been the best ever.

Most don’t agree with Mr. Brown’s views, things he’s done in his personal life, but no one should question he was the greatest RB of all time. Sanders and Payton where up there, but Jim was the man that struck fear into defenders in his day. Peterson, is the closest thing our generation has had, and we’ll see how he closes out his career in comparison.

I’m tired of hearing from these bitter old coots like Jim Brown and Gale Sayers. You were great, we get that. The thing is, if a guy like Bo Jackson had stayed healthy enough to play 7 or 8 years of pro football full-time, nobody would even remember Brown and Sayers today.

Jim Brown is correct, greatness in a RB is as rare as it gets. Jim Brown is the realest. Anyone who hates or doubts should do some work. When you are great you can spot great it’s easy to see when you’ve been it. I know because I am great at my profession and I always can spot a winner. I love JB’s opinions and Im not even a Brownie.

He’s probably right. AP is the only runner playing today who’s name will be mentioned with the all time best when he is done. Jim Brown and Barry Sanders are on the list of greats, but Walter Payton was the greatest ever.

It’s sad to see sports legends struggle to stay relevant after their playing days have ended. Basketball has Michael Jordan but for over 40 years, football has had Jim Brown.
Let’s make the obligatory statement: Brown was an all time great who could likely still play today…
There. Happy, Jim?
Isn’t there a card game somewhere that could use you?

I don’t blame Jim Brown for thinking he’s the greatest that ever has and ever will play the game, that’s simple narcissism.

It’s the people today who agree with him. Dude played against fat and slow guys who worked second jobs during the offseason and smoked cigarettes in the locker room at halftime. Why have you decided this guy would dominate the modern NFL.

Do you think Don Hutson would be the best wide receiver if he played today too?

‘….The game has changed and running backs have been devalued since Brown retired half a century ago. But Jim Brown would be a great player in any era.”

The game might have changed w/ more emphasis on throwing the football but I couldn’t agree more w/ Jim Brown. RB’s have been devalued b/c most of them can’t stay healthy & are not true ‘work horse’ backs like Frank Gore or Peterson or Lynch who can carry an offense. I like offenses that put the emphasis on running the ball & that can jam the ball down the other team’s throats

Every single year people go on & on about the QB’s & the passing game & the number of fantasy points etc. but at the end of the day if you can’t run the ball & you can’t stop the run you’re not going to win a SB.

Jim Brown was the greatest runner–and possibly the greatest pure athlete, period–to ever play in the NFL. What a stud that guy was! Speed, power–he had it all and then some. If he were playing today, he’d still be the best. Adrian Peterson is a great, great runner. So was Barry Sanders. However, Jim Brown was and always will be numero uno.

The reason why backs don’t get the ball as much as he did is because the passing game is better, defenses are bigger, better and faster, and more quarterbacks are becoming more mobile—-not because backs aren’t better. Hey Jim, the first 4 years of your career, you had only 12 game seasons; the last 6 were 14. In football 16 games is much more taxing than 14 or 12. Today the game is so tough that a back has only a lifespan in the nfl is 3-5 years. You last 10 because defenders were smaller and slower.

Brown is one of those rare few that I believe could succeed in todays NFL as he was during his prime. Certainly he wouldn’t be nearly as effective, but definitely more then capable of pulling his own weight.

Of course as others have alluded to if you give him the training and nutrition going in that todays athletes you would probably have a monster on your hands.

I truly believe Mr. Brown would be a GREAT rb now and in any era. He was a tremendous athlete in pretty much ANY sport. I also truly know that he was a MAN among boys when he played. He was as big or close as large as linemen in his day, and as for DBS, he swatted them off like so many flies. Still, it was amazing to watch him run back in the day when I was a boy.

Adrian Peterson is the only truly great RB today. The only one who is a lock HOFer.

While I truly enjoy watching Marshawn Lynch, he is barely in the conversation for the HOF let alone being in consideration for it. McCoy is closer than Lynch, but no lock. Gore, no. Steven Jackson, no.

If Arian Foster can get over his 2013 injuries and have 4 more years in line with 2010-12, then he has a chance to be considered a great. When he is on, Arian Foster is just as good as Peterson.

@shadylamp – 7 Should be Marshall Faulk. Few modern Running backs combined dominance and versatility as he did. I mean how many backs in history have four 2,000 yard seasons from scrimmage? Or a 1,000 yard season as a receiver while still managing over a 1,000+ yards on the ground?

Regardless I feel like Faulk gets left out all to often when people speak of the greatest RB’s of all time.

Let me school you kids on who this man is. Jim Brown is the GOAT. Greatest Of All Time for RB’s. If he’s not number one. he’s a close second to Sweetness Walter Payton. If he was playing today he and Peterson would be the only work horse RB’s that get 20 carries a game. He would be the number 1 pick in every Fantasy Football leagues and Peterson would be 2nd. I can tell this guy was the original Superman, Beastmode, and the BeesNees. He’s wrong about great RB’s because Peterson and Charles are going to be one of the greats when its all said and done. He’s old and went through struggles most of us can’t imagine so he gets a pass. THIS MAN PAVED THE WAY FOR A LOT OF BLACK ATHLETES! RESPECT!

Any player has to be judged on the era in which they played. If Jim Brown played today, he’d probably be bigger, stronger, and faster even than he was with modern weight training, diet, etc.
That said, Jim Brown played in an era when the seasons were shorter, he was rarely asked to catch the ball out of the backfield or to block, and didn’t play as many years as some, even with those shorter seasons. So, while he was a great player for sure, he wasn’t the greatest RB of all time. That was probably Walter Payton.

Jim Brown was the greatest runner of all time. He would dominate today. Even though he would be smaller than the d-backs, not bigger than the lbs. He would be an average runner. Not fast enough. Twelve games a season vs sixteen. Totally different game.

and you wont be able to find out how good any of them are, because they don’t get the ball enough. Blount going to get some carries from the Steelers this year, after he’ll be a top back. Peterson. Lynch. Forte. Charles. Brown’s right it doesn’t go too far. its going to go in a cycle. 5-6 years from now you’ll see backs tearing it up again, because no team will be ready for running game again.

Brown was great, but so was a guy named Taylor in Green Bay. It isn’t that there aren’t great RB’s anymore. The rules and the defenses have tilted the playing field. Brown couldn’t be dominant in today’s game.

Not one mention of Bo Jackson, who I think was better than Jim Brown. I would even put Jim Taylor and Earl Campbell above him also. Jim Brown just loves to blow his own horn and thinks no one is as good as he was. Legend in his own mind.

That said, he’s also trashed some of the greatest running backs in NFL history.

Running back is steadily devalued for two reasons: 1-It’s really difficult for a lead back to keep from suffering injuries to the point they have diminished effectiveness. 2-By devaluing running backs and slanting the game to passing attacks, it’s a skill position NFL teams can pay less.

The only running backs with real value are the Darren Sproles types who are excellent receivers in their own right, and those who can pass protect.

It’s a deception, though. Of the four teams in conference championship games last season, three of them were definitely focused on the ground game.

Most of you rocket scientists either weren’t alive or too young to remember Jim Brown. As a football coach for the past 34 years I will say that those of you who say the game has changed, you are right it has. Yes , defensive backs are stronger and faster and so are linebackers but they are also bigger pu&%ys . Players today are out three weeks for a case of hemroids. You never saw that when he played. The game has also put much more emphasis on the pass. BUT, there has never been an athlete in the NFL who has dominated so completely as a running back for the entire time he played. Jim Brown was a punishing running back! He didn’t try to bob and weave, he ran over people. Most people believe that he retired too early after only 9 years. But if you look at what he did in 9 years playing a shorter 14 game season his stats are over the top. At 6’2 232lbs he was chiseled. His thighs were almost 32″ which is as big as a lot of peoples waists. His 40 time was 4.5 fast for a big man by even todays standards. Look at how many years it took for a running back to surpass his 12,000 yard mark playing 16 games! I have personally met him twice and got to talk football with him. He was probably in his mid 50s when I first met him and his physical presence was incredible. He looked as if he could strap on the pads and teach some kids a lesson. He truly was an incredible athlete. Could he play in todays NFL? Absolutely! An athlete like him? They would build their team and their offense around him. Is he opinionated? yes ! But he sees an NFL that has gotten soft. He sees a bunch of sniveling backs and receivers that are treated like pet air dales instead of men. Yes the game has changed. But those of you who don’t think he was the greatest running back ever to play the game have no idea what your talking about !! You have to look at the whole picture. He retired in 9 years with over 12,000 yards! How many more thousands could he have racked up if he had stayed? He started every game during his career which is a testament to his physical condition. He was All Pro 8 times in his career and MVP 3. When you look at the overall picture of Jim Browns impact in the NFL. He IS the greatest running back of all time.